May 3 BC election weighs heavily on Alberta's NDP

All eyes are on the upcoming provincial election in BC next week. Latest polls show the ruling Liberals in a close tie with BC's NDP.

NDP leader John Horgan is staunchly opposed to Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain Expansion, calling the project "not in BC's interest" and promising to "use every tool in [his] toolbox to stop the project from going ahead." It's unclear what power the province now has to pull existing permits and licenses.

Horgan has backtracked on his opposition to LNG exports, but now calls for a "made-in-BC" environmental assessment and a review of hydraulic fracturing practices in the province.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley has barred members of her own party from supporting the BC NDP.

In a bizarre twist, activist Tzeporah Berman has thrown her support behind BC's NDP due to their "excellent policies" on environmental issues, warning voters not to vote for the Green Party for fears of splitting the left-leaning votes.

Berman is a former co-director at Greenpeace, former co-founder of ForestEthics and now sits on Alberta's Oil Sands Advisory Group, funded by Alberta taxpayers. The self-described environmentalist is anti-pipelines and once compared the oil sands to Lord of the Ring's barren wasteland of darkness and fire.

The BC NDP were in power through much of 1990s but were almost completely wiped out during the 2001 election. The BC Liberals have been in power for 16 years.